The subject of the invention is a cooling device for a motor vehicle, comprising a cooling circuit capable of cooling an engine unit using a liquid coolant circulated by at least one variable flow rate pump. The invention applies advantageously to electric motor vehicles.
In an internal combustion engine, the repeated combustions overheat the contact parts, such as the pistons, cylinders and valves, and are diffused throughout the mechanical parts of the engine. Consequently, these parts need to be cooled to prevent damage. To work properly, combustion engines therefore require a suitable, constant temperature.
In electric-drive vehicles, it is also necessary to cool the various elements of the power train.
It is known to use a cooling system comprising one or more pumps to circulate a liquid coolant around the engine, as well as a radiator, which is a heat exchanger used to cool the liquid. In this case, the flow rate of the liquid coolant depends on the engine speed and is in particular zero when the engine is stopped.